Twelve full months after the disaster took essentially everything from him, this homeowner is still waiting for money from FEMA. “It is very frustrating,” Kaneshiro said.

The72-year-old is part of an application to a federal grant program. If okayed, the private property on which his home and neighbors' properties sat would become public, open space. The flood victims on the street would get a portion of their property's value, Kaneshiro explained. “It's a life-changing disaster,” he said.

Before Irene, Kaneshiro says his home was paid off, and assessed for tax purposes at $150,000. He told New England Cable News the wait for aid feels like life has been put on pause. “I'm not the only one,” he said.

FEMA told NECN it has 35 applications for these home buyouts still pending in Vermont. And even though it's been a year since Irene, the agency said it is actually ahead of schedule. FEMA said it told homeowners right up front that the home buyout process is very complicated and could take well over a year.

Most Vermont recipients of FEMA aid received their checks for smaller sums of money much closer to the storm. FEMA said it has distributed $23-million in aid to several thousand individuals, and roughly $125.5-million to fund repairs to public infrastructure. There are still several pending requests for assistance, including major projects like a rebuild of the Vt. state office complex in Waterbury.

“It's going to be slow,” said Gov. Peter Shumlin, describing the wait individual property owners must experience. “It's going to be frustrating, but we will not ever leave them until we get them into a solid home and back on their feet.”

David Kaneshiro said he just tries to stay patient and grateful, reminding himself that while he lost so much, he still has his life. “And I hope nobody has to go through this, what we're going through,” Kaneshiro said of deep property losses.